Furnace charging and discharging apparatus



(No Model.)

M. P. HIGGINS. FURNACE CHARGING AND DISOHARGING APPARATUS. No. 436.856. Patented Sept. 23, 1890. 4

7 W J-[ ii F H A V 45W AV A V WIT SSES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILTON P. HIGGINS, OF IVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

FURNACE CHARGING AND DISCHARGING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,856, dated September 23, 1890.

Application filed April 20,1888. SerialNo. 271,311. .(Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON P. HIGGINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Furnace Charging and Discharging Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The customary method of drawing heavy hot blooms from furnaces has been to first grasp them with the tongs, then for several men to seize the chain or rope attached to the tongs and haul them out by main strength. This having to be done with the bloom at a glowing heat exposes the men to the intense heat while making great effort, and, though putting the cold bloom into the furnace or charging has no heat from the bloom, yet the mouth of the furnace into which the heavy bloom or fagot has to be pushed on the peel throws out a hot glow that the men cannot stand long.

To overcome all difficulties and relieve the men of exposure to such intense heat and to do the work rapidly and effectually with but few men are the main objects of my invention. Its nature is shown by the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan; Fig. 2, a front elevation; Fig. 3, an end view as seen from the right of Fig. 1, with the chain and pulley as in the act of charging or pulling the bloom and peel in.

In Fig. 1, H H II are the doors of the furnace. A is the frame of the machine, consisting of two sides or ways, with a slide B between them, and having a hydraulic cylinder 0 beneath one end, with a plunger 0 attached, as by bracket N, to the slide B, the cylinder having connections to the valve D, provided with lever-connection to operating-rod F and suitable pipes P and Q for supply and discharge. On the top of the frame A and on the side next the furnaces are the pulleys a aand similar ones 1) b on the slide B, and on the other side of the frameAare the chain-stoppers J, these being arranged so that the chain G can be dropped into any one betweenits jaws and hold and yet readily lifted out to release it, the frame A being provided with legs to make its top about the same height as the furnace-doors. To the slide B is attached a chain passing over a pulley, and to which the weight is attached sufficient to draw back the plunger and slideB to the starting-place,when the valve D is set so that the water in the cylinder can escape; 'or a spring might, in some cases, be preferable to do the same work.

In operation, to draw out abloom the tongs are applied with the chain attached, as shown in Fig. 1, and the chain passed one-quarter round a pulley, as at a, then one-half round the one I) and a link brought down into the stop J; or with the slide B clear back the pulley b will be beyond a, allowing the chain to be brought directly between them to the stop J. Then the water being let onto the cylinder, its plunger is forced out, carrying the slide B and drawing the bloom I out as far as desired.

For recharging, a pulley m is arranged to slide on a bar L, placed below the furnacedoors, so arranged that by moving it along the same pulley can be brought in line with any door, and the chain is passed over the pulley and fastened to the end of the peel S, on which the fagot or cold bloom K has been placed, as shown in Fig. 3. The other end of the chain being then applied to the slide as before and the plunger operated, the peel, with its load, is forced into the furnace, as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a furnace charging and discharging apparatus, the combination, with the ways, slide, and pulleys, of the tongs, chain, and mechanism for moving the slide, substantially as described.

MILTON P. HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

FRED. E. KNIGHT, W. F. COLE. 

